Simple style

A few years ago, Lynn kicked one holiday tradition to the snow-covered curb: decking the halls in reds and greens. Visions of sophisticated creams and golds, shimmery silvers and nature-inspired brown tones danced in Lynn’s head. “I just wanted to lighten it up and do it really natural,” she says.

The color swap happened at a time when Lynn’s life was topsy-turvy. Her son, Matt, had moved away to college. She and her husband, Phil, had just downsized to a 1928 English Tudor in University City that was half the size of their previous home. The low ceilings in her new living room meant she’d need to put up a shorter Christmas tree than in years past. All told, she felt the need to do something different. “We were in that change-of-life phase,” Lynn says. “I said to my husband, ‘Hey do you mind if we switch it up a little bit?’”

Color makeover

The color change stuck. For the past five years, Lynn has dressed her pine tree from top to bottom with shimmering mercury glass and gold ornaments, burlap ribbons and more than 50 pheasant tail feathers that have special meaning. “My son and my husband are hunters,” Lynn says. “They’ve collected all the feathers for me. I love the texture and the color of them.”

Nature gets a starring role throughout the house. Paperwhites bloom on a fireplace mantel, pine garlands wind around doorways and banisters, antique avian plates sit on the table and seeded eucalyptus wreaths—a favorite of Lynn’s—hang from ribbons on the insides of the windows.

Natural hues

Nature even inspired the home’s paint colors. The living and dining rooms are a sage-gray, the kitchen is a sage-blue, and the master bedroom is a eucalyptus hue.

In the dining room, a vintage secretary supplies bar storage and a drop-down surface for serving pieces in the dining room. A new crystal chandelier hangs over the dining table. A cocktail table has an antiqued mirror top, and mirrored or crystal sconces sparkle. “I love to use reflective surfaces,” Lynn says. “You’d be amazed how things reflect when the fireplace is going and the candles are lit.”